Page 1 of Big, Bad, Mountain Man

Chapter One

Bree

“Mom! Can I have a popsicle?” Alyssa asks in a long-drawn-out whine.

“If she get’s one, I want one too!” Her younger sister is always afraid she’s missing out on something.

My daughters are already bouncing off the walls. The last thing they need is a popsicle, but I give them one anyway. “We’re watching TV while we eat them though, okay? No running around the house.”

I’m a terrible mother. It’s been official for a while now. This is their third popsicle of the day and I’m pretty sure the main source of entertainment for some time now has been the Disney Channel. There’s some education there, right?

I tug the hot curling iron through my hair and stare into the mirror, trying to rationalize my day of bad decisions, but the only conclusion I come to is the one where I should be locked away for being a shit stain of a mother.

Nothing crazy happened today. The sun is shining. There’s a nice breeze. I didn’t have to work, and I could have very well taken the girls to the spring festival in town. They’d have loved that. Instead, their mother debated on which dress to wear on her first date in years.

I went with a black and pink sundress. Maybe I should’ve gone with the yellow sundress.

I don’t know!

I collapse onto the bed and bury my half-curled hair into the pillow,Doc McStuffins’theme song playing in the background while the girls quietly watch their tenth episode of the day.

Why am I stressing over this? It’s a date. It’s just a date. My first date since the divorce. It’s probably going to go bad. I should expect it to go bad.

My phone rings and I let out an overwhelming sigh. It’s my friend, Bella. She works at the ice cream shop I opened in town a few months back. I knew the second we met we’d be great friends. She tells me like it is and I do something for her too… I’m sure. I just don’t know what it is.

“Hey, Bella. Everything okay at the shop?”

“Yeah, everything’s good. We’ve been busy all day with the new flavor. Turns out, people love lemon and chocolate together. Anyway, I called to make sure you’re not bailing on your date tonight.”

I sigh. “No. I’m going. He should be here any second.” I glance down at the time on my phone. “So should my sister. She’s going to babysit.”

“Wow. You’re letting him pick you up at your house? That’s not like you. I figured you’d tell him to pick you up at the hardware store or some other place he couldn’t track you.”

“He insisted, and I’m too desperate to care at this point.”

“And what do you think he’s going to do? He’s lived here his whole life.”

I shrug like she can read my body language and make my way to the mirror for some mascara. “I don’t know. It’s just weird. Besides all that, I have no idea what to even talk about.”

“I bet. You’re super awkward with new people. You should’ve practiced some.”

Since we met, Bella and I have been inseparable. A comment like this from anyone else would aggravate me. From her, it’s a truth I know I need. “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I laugh.

“Sorry. It’s the truth. You should practice now. I’ll be him.” She deepens her voice playfully. “Hey, Bree. You’re super-hot. Wanna get in my truck for a ride?”

“What?” I laugh. “No! He wouldn’t say that. If he did, I’d laugh hysterically and walk away.”

“Okay, well… What about this?” Her voice deepens again. “Hey, Bree. Where do you want to eat tonight?”

“Ha! He should’ve put some thought into where we’re eating. He asked me out!” I see now she’s messing with me to loosen me up.

“I bet he’s going to start off with something much smoother. Maybe he’ll ask you about your childhood. That’s a basic first date question. What would you say?”

I crinkle my brows. “I don’t know. He already knows I own the ice cream shop with my sister.” I pause and notice her walking up the driveway. She’s with Hawk, the guy she married a few months back. “Oh, I know. I could tell him that I come from an amazing stock of batshit crazy women.” I chuckle under my breath. “I mean, my mom has been married to more men that the population of Rugged Mountain. Even better, I could invite him to the one in coming up… or maybe I should hold out for her fall nuptials this year. Those are always so much nicer.” I shake my head and pinch my nose over the absurdity of it all. “So, coach, how’d I do?”

Bella chuckles, and I hear the shrug in her tone. “I’m interested. I bet he would be too.”

“Umm… no. It’s been a while since I’ve done this, but last I checked, on the first date you didn’t let a man know your gene pool is filled with crud that a truck load of chlorine couldn’t clean.”

---